Awesome Articles

How to Write an Essay in APA Format the Right Way

The APA essay format is one of most commonly and widely used for formatting and citing in the field of psychology as well as in health, biology, sociology, genealogy, etc. Students find APA a bit intimidating – especially on first glance – but it’s actually pretty straightforward and when you break your assignment down into smaller, simpler parts you will find that essay writing format is actually much easier compared to the amount of work you have to do in researching the material. Here’s what you need to know:

Formatting the APA Essay Cover Page

Start by setting the basic essay APA format for the cover page. Font should be 12-pt and double spaced. Develop a short title with an appropriate sub title if necessary and place it about 1/3 of the page down, centered. Your name and institution (the school’s name) go on separate lines immediately beneath the sub-title. Include a running head (an abbreviated form of the title) in the header along with the first page number.

Setting-up the Essay’s Main Section and Paragraphs

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, use a 12-point font double-spaced throughout the text. There are main sections that should be included in most APA-style writing assignments. The sections you should concern yourself with are the Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. There is also a bibliography section that is formatted slightly differently (which we will discuss later). You can use an essay in APA format example to get an idea of what is required.

Using Citations and Bibliography Page

In text essay APA citation rules are pretty straightforward. Any piece of information (e.g., quote, paraphrase, fact, table, etc.) that comes from another source needs a citation citing that source. Each citation should include the author’s last name in the year in which the information was published placed within parenthesis. The complete publication information will be added to a bibliography page placed at the end of the essay. This will include the author’s full name, the source title, the publishing information, as well as the pages where the information has been found.

Editing, Proofreading, and Finishing Touches

The last step to writing this style of essay is to edit, proofread, and place all finishing touches necessary for an error free, well-written academic work. Do each of these things separately and with a printed paper in hand. It’s much more effective to mark up the page than it is to make corrections on a computer screen. Once you are finished as a friend to review your work one more time. This ensures you are turning in the best possible piece of writing to earn a top notch grade.

Writing an essay in APA format the right way isn’t an art form – it can be learned through a lot of patience, dedication, and hard work. These are all qualities that students should all possess if they want to succeed academically, but we know that from time to time a situation may arise when finding some other source of help is absolutely necessary. This is why we recommend utilizing a professional writing and editing service when dealing with an academic essay in this or in any other format. A great service can ensure you’ve covered all of the minor details you may have missed that could make your assignment veritably excellent.